


Running From, Running Towards

by betsib



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3354416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betsib/pseuds/betsib
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason Grace is the star quarterback at Jupiter High. Nico di Angelo is the new kid in the track team, and he seems to dislike football players. High School AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running From, Running Towards

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [these](http://fimyuan.tumblr.com/post/107466336100/pictured-jupiter-highs-star-quarterback-just) [drawings](http://fimyuan.tumblr.com/post/108953565355/track-runner-nico-as-my-fill) by Fimyuan.
> 
> Also warning for past bullying.

“The track team?” the PA teacher asked with a frown. “Sure, I think you could join. The tryouts were a few weeks ago but if you talk to Reyna I’m sure it’ll work out. She’s in charge of the team.”

“Thank you,” Nico said, and the teacher gave him a curious look.

“You’re the new kid, right?” he said. “Finally decided to make some friends?”

“Something like that,” Nico muttered, turning to leave.

He’d already been here a month. Nico and his family had moved to this part of town during the summer. It worked well for Hazel who was a freshman, but Nico had switch schools, meaning he was apparently stuck as “the new kid”. He didn’t care. It was much better than “that freak”, which had been his nickname at his old school. Among other names Nico really didn’t want to recall.

“A fresh start for all of us”, Nico’s dad had told him when they carried their boxes into the new house. Nico knew it was aimed at him in particular. His dad had spent the last few weeks trying to convince Nico they weren’t moving just for his sake, but he knew that was a large part of it. His last school had been hell.

Jupiter High School was different. Here nobody knew him, and he could easily stay out of of everyone’s way. Or at least he could, until his stepmother got tired of him spending every evening at home.

“The boy needs something to do,” she had told his dad one evening a few days ago. “He needs to socialize more, and could use some exercise. Make him join a sports team.”

“Perse, we talked about this,” Nico’s dad had tried, but she just shook her head.

“I’m not saying he should join _football_ ,” she had said. “There are other sports. I’m sure he could find something.”

“I’m not good at any sports,” Nico had argued, but she wasn’t having it.

“That comes with training. I won’t have you loitering around at home anymore. Either you join a sports team or you will start working evenings in the garden!”

The choice had been pretty easy.

Still, it took Nico a while to figure out what to join, but the track team seemed like his best bet. The team was small and even though the girls’ team did well, the boys’ team wasn’t very popular. It shouldn’t be too hard to join. Besides, he had spent a good chunk of last year running away from bullies. Running just to run would be a nice change.

Reyna turned out to be a stern-looking girl about a year older than Nico. She gave him a scrutinizing look when he said he wanted to join.

“It’s true that we could use more members,” she said. “Come to practice after school, and we’ll see.”

Jupiter High was a small school, meaning the track team practiced at the same spot as the football team. Nico hadn’t really counted on that. He considered backing out, but the football players trained on the field while the track runners ran _around_ it. They probably wouldn’t even have to speak to each other. Except maybe in the locker rooms, but if he was fast that wouldn’t be a problem.

“This is Nico. He’ll be trying out for the team today,” Reyna introduced him to the rest of the group. There were only about ten people there, both girls and boys. They seemed happy to see him, if a little sceptical.

“He’s pretty short,” someone commented, and Nico felt his cheeks grow hot. “Think he can keep up?”

“Let’s warm up, then Nico can show us what he’s got. Let’s not judge him yet,” Reyna said sternly. “Line up!”

Nico had to admit he was a little out of shape, but he managed not to fall behind during warmup. After that it was time to run, and Nico was almost surprised by how fast he still was. Reyna seemed satisfied with his time as well.

“You need to build up your stamina, but your speed is good,” she said, nodding towards him. “Welcome to the team.”

Nico couldn’t help but smile as the others laughed and patted him on the back. Being part of a team actually felt pretty good.

***

“Okay, five minute break, guys,” Jason said. “Go drink some water. And I mean _water_ , Dakota.”

Dakota grumbled something about Cool Aid as he walked off, and Jason shook his head. He took a mouthful of water from his own bottle, looking over the team. They had gotten lazy over the summer, but were finally starting to get into shape again. And not a day too soon, considering their first game of the season was the following Friday.

“Is it just me or did the track team adopt a kid?” Connor Stoll said, and his brother laughed.

“Good for them,” Travis said. “I’ve never understood what’s so fun about running in circles.”

Jason turned to see what they were talking about. He had never paid much attention to the track team while on practice. Usually he was so concentrated on football he didn’t even notice them running around the field, except on rare occasions when the ball ended up in their path and they either ignored it or stopped long enough to throw it back.

This time, however, one of them caught his eye. There was a new guy among them that Jason didn’t recognize, probably a freshman. He apparently hadn’t gotten his team uniform yet, considering he was running in black sweatpants and a shirt rather than the purple clothes the others were wearing. He was a lot shorter than his teammates, hence Connor’s “kid”-comment, but seemed to be able to keep up with them just fine. Reyna _had_ said something about a new talent, hadn’t she?

Jason didn’t have time to watch for long. He had his own training to concentrate on, after all.

***

They finished training at roughly the same time as the track team, so the locker room was pretty crowded. The new track runner ended up opposite Jason, and seemed to be in a hurry to change. Jason wasn’t watching, exactly, but the guy was moving like the house was burning down around him and was kinda hard to miss. He was out the door before Jason had time to ask him what the hurry was.

“Well, your new guy is fast, I’ll give you that,” Travis laughed. “Maybe the girls won’t completely outclass you this year.”

Frank Zhang, who was technically in charge of the boys’ track team even though Reyna actually handled both, just smiled. “Maybe you guy’s should challenge them to a race, and see if you still laugh afterwards.”

“A playrace is actually not a bad idea,” Jason said. “We should increase our speed on the field.”

“Only if we don’t have to wear our gear, otherwise it’s not fair,” Connor said.

“I’ll talk to Reyna about it,” Frank said, then followed the rest of his team out the door.

Jason finished changing, but just as he was about to leave something caught his eye. A card lay underneath the bench opposite him, and he curiously bent down to pick it up. It was a driver’s license, showing a pretty cute photo of the new guy on the track team and the name _Nico di Angelo_.

No wonder the kid hadn’t noticed he dropped it at the pace he was going. Jason put the card in his pocket, figuring he’d give it back tomorrow if he didn’t manage to catch the Nico before he left the school grounds. Which wasn’t likely, considering in how much of a hurry he had been.

Surprisingly enough, as Jason walked to his car he caught a glimpse of Nico’s messy black hair a bit further away, waiting for a green light. Seems he had only been in a hurry to get out of the locker room, then. Maybe it was the smell.

“Hey, Nico! Wait up!” Jason shouted, hurrying to catch up with the track runner. Nico turned to look at him, and for a moment Jason was sure he was going to flee. In the end he remained where he was, waiting for Jason to approach.

“What do you want?” he asked, glaring suspiciously. Jason frowned. Had he done something to make the kid dislike him? He didn’t think so. To be honest he couldn’t even remember speaking to him before.

“I found this on the floor in the locker room,” Jason said, handing Nico the card. “It’s yours, right?”

Nico looked surprised as he took it. “Thank you,” he said. “I hadn’t even realized I lost it.”

“You’re welcome,” Jason said uncertainly.

The light turned green. “I got to go,” Nico said hurriedly “Thanks again. See you around.”

He turned and walked away, looking vaguely like he was trying to resist running. Jason looked after him, wondering if he really was that intimidating.

***

Nico wasn’t going to admit it to his stepmother, but joining the track team had actually been a good idea. Suddenly he had people to hang out with on breaks and at lunch, people to complain about school with. They weren’t exactly friends, not yet, but it was definitely an improvement.

Especially after last year.

Nico shook his head, trying not to think about that. He was in the middle of practice, and needed to focus on what he was doing. Nico frowned, concentrating solely on putting one foot in front of the other.

He was running around the field at a steady pace, working to increase his stamina, when the football landed a few feet in front of him.

“Nico! Throw the ball back!” Jason shouted from the middle of the field. Nico hesitated, not really sure he should, but Jason had referred to him by name. It would be rude to refuse.

Sighing, he stopped to pick up the ball. Not that it could be called a ball, exactly. Nico really didn’t get football. Why was it even called that?

Still, he threw the ball back in Jason’s general direction. It didn’t quite reach him, and Nico half expected the players to start laughing at his weak-ass throw. Hell, Nico was already preparing to get mad about it.

“Thanks, Nico! Appreciate it!” Jason shouted. Nico caught a glimpse of a bright smile on his face before he turned towards his teammates to resume training. Nico watched for a second, then continued running. The stop had put him a bit off his rhythm, but he found himself smiling.

***

“Don’t bother with your gear, guys,” Jason said as he entered the locker room before training started the following week. “Reyna agreed to a race.”

Connor groaned. “Great, so we’re going to get humiliated by a bunch of girls.”

“The track team has guys as well, we can beat those,” Travis suggested, and Frank laughed from the other side of the room.

“Don’t count on it.”

“The new guy,” Connor pondered. “We can beat him at least.”

Jason looked around for Nico, but he must already have left. Frank just shook his head with a smile.

“Good luck with that.”

They warmed up separately, then the race was on. They divided into smaller groups to fit the track, and started with sprinting. Jason was surprised to see Nico immediately take the lead, even in front of his own team mates. The football players put up a good fight, but ultimately had to admit defeat.

“This was a good ego booster for my team,” Reyna told him afterwards. “Though yours look pretty humiliated.”

“We needed it,” Jason shrugged. “Did you see our game last Friday? We completely slaughtered our opponents.”

“So you needed at dash of reality, I get it,” Reyna smiled. "Well, I hope this was enough of a wake-up call. I'm sure I can get my team to run even faster if needed"

Jason was certain that was true. "We're good, thanks."

***

Jason’s eyes wandered towards track team as they took a break. Nico seemed to have finally donned the track runner uniform, a loose top and shorts in Jupiter High’s colors. He was in the middle of stretching, and Jason stared.

 _Holy shit_ the kid had legs!

Jason almost hit himself at the thought. Of course Nico had legs! It wasn't like the legs hadn't been there just because they'd been covered before. Jason just hadn’t expected them to be so… so like _that!_ A short person shouldn’t logically have long legs, but Nico did. Really well sculptured, long legs. Surprisingly hairless, too. Jason wondered if he shaved them.

“Ground control to Major Jason,” Dakota said, waving a hand in front of Jason’s eyes. “What are you staring at?”

“Huh?” Jason asked stupidly, tearing his eyes away from Nico’s legs, which he was still stretching, the bastard. “Sorry, what?”

“You’re not thinking about joining the track team, right? We need our quarterback.”

Jason laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

***

Nico was walking through the mall, cursing himself for getting too enthusiastic in the bookstore. His bag was really heavy now, but at least it meant he wouldn’t have to go into town for a while.

As he walked on, he recognized a couple of people from the football team coming out of a store in front of him. In a moment of illogical panic he ducked into the the nearest store, hoping they hadn’t seen him. No such luck, as it turned out.

“Nico?” Jason asked as they passed. “What are you doing in a lingerie store?”

Nico looked around, feeling his face burn one he realized he had apparently ended up in a store that sold women’s underwear. Clearly he was out of luck today.

“I’m...I’m looking for something for my sister,” he managed, and one of Jason’s friends raised his eyebrows.

“You buy underwear for your sister?” he asked. “That’s a bit weird.”

“Why would it be weird?” Jason asked, at the same time a shop clerk appeared with a disinterested “Can I help you?”

“Thanks, I...” Nico started telling her, then trailed off, laying eyes on a black bra decorated with purple skulls and jewels. It seemed like Hazel’s kind of thing, and she had complained about having no cute bras recently… “Actually, I think I found what I was looking for.”

“Well, tell me if you need any help,” she said, disappearing back behind the counter while Nico looked for the proper size.

“So, we’re going to get some food,” Jason said, and Nico jumped, having almost forgotten they were there. “You wanna come with us?”

“Thanks, I just ate,” NIco said, which was a complete lie. The invitation had sounded sincere, though, and Jason seemed a little disappointed.

“Oh,” he said. “Well, see you in school.”

“Bye,” Nico answered, then went off to the counter to pay.

***

Hazel was in his room playing a video game when Nico got home. _Assassin’s Creed_ , apparently, judging by the historical setting and the pile of bodies her character was standing on.

“I bought you a bra,” Nico said as a greeting, throwing the bag in her lap.

“What?” Hazel asked with a baffled laugh as she paused the game and opened the bag. “Oh, this is so _cute!_ ”

“I have the receipt, you can change it if it doesn’t fit,” Nico said, throwing himself down on the bed with a sigh.

“You never buy me bras. What happened?”

Nico groaned as he told her the story.

“They didn’t insult you or anything?” Hazel asked, and Nico shook his head.

“No, I just overreacted.”

“So it’s okay if I laugh?”

Nico sighed. “Go ahead,” he said. “I probably deserved it.”

“Well, I got a cute gift out of it, so I’m not complaining,” Hazel grinned. “So they were honestly asking you to come to lunch with them, then?”

“I think so. I don’t know,” Nico said, dragging a hand through his hair. “They all seem really nice, Jason especially.”

“ _And_ he’s really good looking. I’ve seen him around in school,” Hazel nodded, frowning slightly. “He’s probably just trying to be friendly, but Nico, be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Nico laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to fall for him. I’m not that stupid.”

“It’s not about being stupid,” Hazel sighed. “I’m going to go try this on.”

***

Training had ended with a sudden rainstorm. Most of the team ran inside as soon as they got permission too, but Jason had to gather some equipment and ended up drenched and cold. The other’s were already leaving by the time he got into the locker room.

By the time he had finished his shower Jason thought he was the only one left, but he had barely put his pants on when the door to the locker room opened. Nico entered, still dressed in his track uniform and completely soaked from the rain. He was a sight to behold, and Jason tried not to stare.

“Hey. Late training?” Jason asked, averting his eyes while trying not to be obvious about it.

Nico made a move that was somewhere between a shrug and a shudder. He must have been really cold, wearing such thin clothes. Especially now that they were wet. “It’s just me. For some reason I decided to run the longer route today for a change in scenery.”

“Bad luck,” Jason smiled. “We cut training short as well. No point in getting the whole team sick before the next match.”

“I suspect that’s what my teammates figured, as well,” Nico said, walking over to his locker and starting to gather his things. Jason frowned.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower and change clothes?”

“No point. I’m walking home,” Nico said, and Jason resolutely looked away as he bent down to stuff his clothes into his backpack. Damn those legs of his. Damn the rest of him as well, for that matter. Damn Jason's brain for looking again. Nico shivered slightly.

“You’re going to get sick,” Jason pointed out. “Why don’t you let me give you a ride? I have a car.”

Nico visibly hesitated. “It’s okay, I live pretty close by,” he said uncertainly. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“How close is pretty close?” Jason asked. “Look, I know that rain is freezing, I was just out there myself. Dropping you off on my way home would be no trouble.”

Nico still looked hesitant, but he was starting to shiver. “If you really don’t mind,” he said slowly.

“Go take a shower and put on something dry. I’ll wait,” Jason smiled.

***

Nico looked strangely nervous as they walked towards Jason’s car. He seemed tense, like he was preparing to start running at any minute.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked, and Nico’s head snapped up to look at him.

“Yeah. Fine.”

Jason frowned, but opted not to pry. “Here’s my car. Sorry it’s a bit cramped.”

Nico snorted. “At least you _have_ a car.”

“You have a licence, though,” Jason commented as they entered the car.

“I have a licence, but no car. Dad insists on Jules-Albert driving me if I need to get somewhere,” Nico sighed.

“Jules-Albert?” Jason asked, smiling amusedly.

“Dad’s chauffeur, though he _still_ likes to drive his own car,” Nico scoffed. “They’re out of town at the moment, or I could have called him.”

“Well, you just say the word if you ever need a ride after practice,” Jason said. “We seem to be heading in the same direction, anyway.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” Nico said, then turned to look out the window, away from Jason. The car was filled with silence for a while.

Jason frowned. “You know, I can’t help but feeling I’ve done something to offend you,” he said. “Care to let me know what, so I can apologize?”

Nico cringed in his seat, and Jason felt a bit bad about is harsh tone, then the boy sighed.

“It’s not you. I’m sorry,” Nico said. “You’ve been nothing but kind.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s...it’s complicated,” Nico said, looking away again. “I’ve had... _disagreements_ with football players before.”

“Reyna mentioned you’re Italian. Is it because of the whole football/soccer thing?” Jason asked. “I’ve heard my share of complains about that.”

Nico let out a huffed laugh, and that was probably the first time Jason had seen him smile. Shame he had to keep his eyes on the road.

“I wish,” he said. “No, it was personal. I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Okay,” Jason nodded. “But we’re good, right?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Nico smiled, the second smile in their short acquaintance. “Turn left here.”

Jason did as he asked. “This is pretty far to walk,” he commented, and Nico shrugged.

“If the weather is good it’s actually pretty nice, and I usually walk through the park rather than go around it. It’s shorter than it seems.”

“If you say so,” Jason said. “Still, my offer is still standing. If you want a ride, call me.”

“That may be hard, since I don’t have your number,” Nico pointed out.

“True, but I could just give it to you,” Jason said, then recited the number for Nico to enter into his phone.

“I sent you a message, so you have mine as well,” Nico said. “Don’t send me any cat videos.”

Jason laughed. “Dog person, huh? I can work with that.”

Nico just made a face at him.

Jason kinda wished the ride would have gone on longer, but soon Nico told him to pull over by a pretty large house with an incredible garden. Nico scowled when he mentioned it.

“My stepmother practically lives in that garden. She would love you for saying that.”

“I take it you don’t like it.”

“I kill every flower I look at, pretty much. Yet she still forces me to work in the garden sometimes,” Nico sighed. “I don’t know why she bothers. Anyway, thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” Jason smiled. “See you at school.”

Nico nodded uncertainly, then he got out of the car and ran for the door so he wouldn’t get wet. Jason waited until he had gotten the door open, then started driving away, smiling to himself.

He had unexpectedly managed to get Nico’s number. Even if it was unlikely the boy had any interest in him, especially considering whatever history he had with football players, it was still an achievement. They might have a shot at being friends, at least.

When he got home he looked at his phone, which showed one new message from an unknown sender.

 _Thanks for rescuing me from the rain_.

Smiling, he saved Nico’s number. Then, because he could, he send him a link to a video with a dog chasing it’s own tail.

***

Nico spent a good five minutes just looking at his phone after he’d gotten inside and slumped down on his bed. The message he’d sent to Jason to let him know Nico’s number was still on the screen. Nico wondered if giving it to him had been a good idea.

From the first day of school, he had been so prepared to hate Jason and the rest of the jocks, and had been determined to keep out of their way if possible. The problem was, they seemed like good guys. Jason especially. Nico hadn’t heard a bad word about him since school started, and he had made a few quiet inquiries. Still, he seemed a bit too perfect to be true, and Nico didn’t quite buy it. That didn’t have to mean he himself was in any danger, but better cautious than locked inside a janitor's closet again.

For some reason he had still trusted Jason with his phone number. And to give him a ride home.

He almost jumped when his phone suddenly vibrated in his hand, and a message from Jason appeared. He opened the link, already pretty sure what it contained, and laughed when the dog became visible.

 _Cute, but Cerberus shows me all the silly dog antics I could possibly want_ , Nico sent back. A few minutes later his phone vibrated again.

**You have a dog? Show me.**

Nico rolled his eyes, then scrolled through his phone to find the silliest picture of their so-called guard dog he could find. _Don’t be fooled. He’d bite your head off._

The conversation continued easily for a while, and Nico suddenly realized he was reading Jason’s messages with a huge smile on his face.

The smile faded as he looked down at his phone. Was he too trusting? Was he he being tricked again?

It was a ridiculous thought, really. He was miles away from his own school. Nobody knew him around here, and even if they did they wouldn’t have any reason to hurt him. He was being paranoid.

Nico still couldn’t shake the suspicion.

Better take a step back, and analyze the situation. He couldn’t let himself get too attached.

***

Not getting attached worked wonderfully.

Nico watched Jason talk enthusiastically to one of his teammates across the table. It was something football-related, and Nico had long since tuned them out. He was just looking at smile on Jason’ face now, barely refraining from sighing.

Apparently Jason was his friend now. And being Jason’s friend meant that he and Nico often ate lunch together, and hung out on breaks and sometimes after school. Nico was a little wary at first, but as the weeks passed and nothing happened he started to relax, coming to the conclusion that Jason really just was a friendly guy. A friendly, nice, _really good looking guy_ who was miles out of Nico’s league. Hazel had warned him, and Nico had insisted he wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a guy like that.

Jason smiled again, and Nico looked down into his food. What a joke that had been. He was _definitely_ that stupid.

“...going, Nico?” Jason said, and Nico snapped back to reality.

“Huh?”

“You awake there?” Jason smiled, though his brows were furrowed in concern. “I was wondering if you were coming to the movies tonight?”

Nico blinked. “I...ugh, I wasn’t listening, sorry,” he said. “What movie? Who’s going?”

“It’s an action comedy of some sort, I don’t remember the title. Me, Dakota, a couple of guys from the team are going,” Jason said. “You in?”

“Um,” Nico said uncertainly, not sure he wanted to go somewhere with just football players. Not that he actually thought they would do anything, but still...

“Sorry, I don’t think tonight works for me,” he managed, trying to come up with some reason, but Jason didn’t ask.

“Oh, okay,” he said. “Maybe next time then?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

***

Jason looked over to where the track team had gathered. Nico was talking to a guy holding something, probably a stop watch. He was still wearing shorts, even though about half the team had switched to long pants by now. At least he had a jacket on.

Jason had spent a lot of time with Nico lately, though Jason honestly wished they could do more together. It had taken a while, but Nico was starting to act less guarded around him, and Jason wanted to savour every moment of of it. The more he learned about Nico the more he liked him.

Jason sighed deeply as Nico smiled at whatever the other guy said. He had a really nice smile.

“Okay, I’ve had enough. What’s up with you and that track runner?” Travis asked behind him.

Jason almost jumped. “Who?” he asked, not even convincing to his own ears.

Connor rolled his eyes. “That short track runner you keep staring at every break of every practice. We’re not blind, you know.”

“It’s nothing,” Jason tried to defend himself. “We’re friends. Well, sort of.”

“Because you _sort of_ want to get into those shorts of his?”

“That’s not...” Jason said, face burning. He glanced over at Nico, who apparently decided this was a good time to bend over to stretch his legs. Jason tore his eyes away, only to be met by a team of raised eyebrows. He gave up. “Is it really that obvious?”

“To some of us,” Travis grinned, turning towards the others. “I told you so. Pay up.”

Quite a few of Jason’s teammates started grumbling at that.

“You just lost me five bucks and a bottle of Cool-Aid,” Dakota complained to Jason, while Travis and Connor laughed loudly.

“You took bets on me liking Nico?” Jason asked, wondering why he was surprised. These were the Stoll brothers, after all.

“Easiest bet ever,” Connor smirked. “So have you asked him out yet?”

“I don’t even know if he’s into guys,” Jason said. “Let’s just drop it. We’re here to train.”

***

When he realized two guys from Jason’s team was walking up to him, and Jason wasn’t among them, Nico panicked. He slammed his locker shut and hurried in the other direction, as fast as he could in the crowd. He arrived early in class, but at least he had managed to lose them.

Or so he thought. They ambushed him at his locker after class, apparently having anticipated his running away. Nico could feel his hands shaking as they got closer, but at least they were in the middle of a hallway full of people. They couldn’t do anything too bad, right?

Right. When had that ever worked before?

“Hey, Nico,” one of the jocks said, smiling way too widely. Nico didn’t trust that smile one bit. “Do you have a minute?”

“What is it?” Nico asked, biting his teeth together, knowing well that answering “no” would only make things worse.

“We’re trying to do a mutual friend a favor,” one of the other jocks, probably his brother by the looks of it, said. Oh great, another set of twins. Nico hated his life.

“Well, saying it outright is probably better, right?” the first one said. “Okay, here’s the deal.”

Nico steeled himself, waiting for whatever insult or injury they would throw his way.

“Jason really likes you.”

Nico blinked. “What?”

“Jason wants to bone you,” the jock grinned, looking amused rather than menacing. “Only in a romantic, candle-light dinner kind of way, since it’s Jason.”

“Figured we’d spill the beans, since he’s too chicken to do it himself,” his brother laughed. “But we have a bet riding on this, so we can’t just leave it up to him.”

“I...What?” Nico asked again, completely baffled. The brothers laughed.

“Good luck, kid,” they said as they started to walk down the hallway, waving behind them. “We’re counting on you!”

Nico stared after them, wondering what the hell had just happened.

***

“YOU DID WHAT?” Jason exclaimed, his voice reaching a higher pitch than he’d heard since his voice changed. The Stoll brothers just ginned at him, and Jason was really tempted to break their faces.

“Well, you weren’t going to do anything about it, so we did,” Travis said. “Win or lose, now you’ll know.”

“This isn’t funny,” Jason growled. “You realize you might just have cost me my friendship with Nico?”

“Come on, Jason. If it breaks over this, was it really worth keeping?”

“You don’t get it, he doesn’t trust jocks. He’s going to think this is all some cruel joke, and that I’ve been playing him this whole time,” Jason said, taking a deep breath. “If this ends badly, I’m quitting the team.”

Both brothers’ eyes went wide.

“Wait, you...”

“We didn’t mean to...”

“Enough,” Jason shouted. “I have to go fix this mess. Get lost.”

He stalked away. Once he was out of sight he leaned against the wall, taking a few deep breaths, then picked up his phone to send a message.

**We need to talk. Meet me by the entrance after school?**

Neutral ground. Lots of other people around. It should be safe enough for Nico to come, even after this. Right? Jason almost dropped his phone as a message arrived.

_OK._

Jason stared at the message. Simple. Short. Borderline unfriendly. Slightly ominous. What else did he expect, really?

***

Nico was waiting for him by the entrance, as they had agreed on. He was leaning against the wall, doing something with his phone, though he looked up as Jason approached.

“So look, about what Travis and Connor told you,” Jason begun, watching with a sinking feeling as Nico’s guard went up again, twice as strong as before.

“You don’t have to explain, I know they were just playing some sort of prank on you,” Nico said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jason could have screamed. This was _exactly_ what he’s been afraid of. “That's not it! I mean, in a way, kinda, but not like you think!” Jason said. “They had no right to go behind my back like that.” He took a deep breath. “But it’s true that I like you.”

Jason watched as Nico turned even paler than usual. “No,” he said.

“I’m not asking for anything,” Jason said quickly. “I won’t even mention it again if you don’t want me to, but you deserve to know. I should have been the one to tell you. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Nico repeated. “Why are you doing this?”

“Nico, I know you don’t believe me, and I get why,” Jason tried. “But I swear, I’m not trying to trick you. I would never do that.”

Nico looked up at him, and Jason realized with horror that there were tears in his eyes. Still, he defiantly met Jason’s gaze.

“Why?” he demanded, voice shaking a bit. “If you’re actually telling the truth, _why_ would you like me?”

“It’s kinda hard to explain,” Jason said. Nico’s eyes narrowed, so he blurted out:. “I like your legs!”

Nico blinked.

“My legs?”

“Oh god, that makes me sound like a creep, doesn’t it?” Jason said. “It’s not just that. I mean you do have nice legs but I also like that dry sense of humor you’ve got, and your hair is really fluffy and I like the way you smile sometimes.”

Jason was fully aware he was rambling, but he really hadn’t been prepared for a question like that. Nico’s eyes were wide, watching in shock and disbelief. When Jason finally finished, Nico was quiet for a long while.

“You realize we have an audience,” he finally said, and Jason looked around as people everyone suddenly seemed very busy looking in another direction. His stepmother was undoubtedly going to hear about this and flip some tables, but Jason couldn’t bring himself to care. Nico might interpret the audience as pressure, though.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Jason said. “Just consider it, okay? That’s all I ask. I hope we can still be friends.”

Nico nodded slowly. “I’ll think about it,” he said, then turned to leave. Jason really wanted to follow. Instead he walked to his car and just sat in the driver’s seat for a long while.

***

Nico ran all the way home. His head was overflowing, and he didn’t know what to do. So he ran. It usually helped.

His first thought was that Jason must be lying or trying to trick him, because there was no way Jason actually… Jason _couldn’t_ actually have fallen for him.

Nico’s second thought was that if this was a trick, the whole school must have been in on it, because Jason’s confession had been out in the open and easily overheard. Nico wasn’t so selfish he believed someone would go through all that trouble just to prank him.

Which meant Jason was sincere. He had _sounded_ sincere, with the rambling and blushing and all. Nico slowed his pace to a walk and thoughtfully looked down at his own legs. Did he have nice legs? Nico had never really considered it. He’d have to check the mirror when he got home. His hair was definitely infuriatingly fluffy, though.

Nico shook his head and started running again. When he finally came home he was tired and sweaty, but his head felt clearer. He took a shower and got dressed, then sat down to think.

Jason liked him. Through some miracle, Jason actually liked him. What was he going to do about that?

Nico sighed deeply and threw himself down on his bed. He knew what he would have liked to do about it, he had fantasized about it enough, but always from the angle that a fantasy was all it could ever be. Now… Nico wasn’t sure.

Jason had given him the option to continue as friends, though. That seemed the safest option. For the moment, at least.

He picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, then sent a message.

_Are you doing anything tonight or do you want to come over?_

There. Nico’s heart was beating fast as he stared at the phone, waiting for an answer. He didn’t have to wait long.

**I’d love to! Right now or later?**

_Either way is fine_ , Nico sent back, smiling slightly, then scowling at himself. He had decided to stay just friends, so why did he feel so nervous about this? He jumped as his phone buzzed again.

**Okay! See you in a bit!**

Nico put the phone down, then caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror opposite his bed. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he was barefoot and dressed in black sweatpants and an old t-shirt with a Mythomagic motif. He looked a mess.

He hurriedly got off his bed to change clothes, then stopped halfway to the wardrobe. Just friends, he reminded himself firmly. He shouldn’t have to dress up for a friend. Resolutely he sat back down, determined to look his worst when Jason arrived.

He almost changed his mind three times in the half hour it took for Jason to turn up, but when the doorbell rang he was still in the same clothes (with the addition of a pair of socks, because he’d literally gotten cold feet).

“Hey,” Jason smiled, looking gorgeous as always in his football jacket and jeans. There was something a little nervous about his smile, though. It made Nico feel a little better, because it made him even surer that this wasn’t a trick.

“Hey,” Nico echoed. “Come in.”

“So, um,” Jason said uncertainly once he was inside. “Have you thought about it? I mean I don’t want to rush you but I’d like to know where we stand, you know?”

He blushed, Nico realized with some fascination. Jason Grace, Jupiter High’s star quarterback, was standing in front of Nico and actually _blushing_. It was doing funny things to Nico’s stomach.

“I, um,” Nico tried. “I thought, maybe, that we could be…” He meant to say friends, but his heart was beating fast and Jason was blushing and looking so _nervous_ and _hopeful_ and Nico had dreamed of this so many times and…

“Okay,” he heard himself say, and Jason gave him a confused look.

“Okay?” he repeated, then breathed out. “We’re okay? That’s good. I was worried I freaked you out.”

“No, I meant...” Nico said, his throat feeling dry. “I meant okay. If you want to, if you were actually serious...”

“You mean you’ll go out with me?” Jason asked, eyes shining brightly, even if he still looked nervous. Like he expected Nico to say no.

“If you still want to,” Nico nodded, feeling his face burn. The smile on Jason’s face was definitely worth the humiliation, though.

“Yes!” Jason exclaimed, and suddenly Nico found himself engulfed in a bearhug, pushed slightly too hard against Jason’s chest. Jason was laughing happily somewhere above his ear, and Nico couldn't help smiling as well. It wasn’t exactly what he’s been planning for, but Jason’s arms felt good around him. He might regret the decision later, but maybe it was time for a leap of faith?

***

“I have something for you. Here.”

Nico looked down at the present with disbelief. “Jason, this is one of your football shirts.”

“Yup. It’s kinda a tradition at Jupiter High for the team members to give one to their girlfriends before a game,” Jason said. “I mean, I don’t know if you’re planning to come watch, but...”

“I’ll be there if you want me to,” Nico interrupted. “But I’m not your girlfriend.”

“I know that, but you’re my boyfriend, so it’s the same deal,” Jason said, then apparently turned nervous. “Right?”

“I guess,” Nico frowned. “You realize that anyone who sees me wearing this is going to make the connection.”

“That’s sort of the point,” Jason said uncertainly. “You don’t have to wear it, but keep it anyway, okay?”

“I’ll think about it,” Nico said

Nico tried on the shirt when he got home. It was way too big for him, looking vaguely like a dress or a nightgown. Still he kinda liked it. Jason had given it to him, after all.

***

Nico felt a bit out of place on the bleachers among the rest of the audience. There were parents, supporters and and a number of girlfriends wearing their boyfriends’ shirts. Nico knew he was the only _boyfriend_ there, and he noticed a few people staring openly at him before the game begun. Nico just tried to keep his head down and not talk to anyone.

Nico only had a vague idea of how american football worked, but it became clear early on that Jason was very good at what he was doing. The audience surrounding him him cheered loudly whenever he did something good. Nico was a lot more quiet, because he had no idea what was going on half the time.

He had no idea what was going on in their relationship half the time either, to be honest. Jason kept telling him he liked him, and Nico believed him. Still, it felt like something was wrong. He didn’t have any first hand experience, but he was fairly sure a relationship wasn’t supposed to move this _slowly_. They had dated for over two weeks, and they hadn’t even kissed yet. Hell, Jason barely held his hand or hugged him.

To be fair, Nico hadn’t exactly instigated anything. He knew how stupid it was, but part of him still expected the whole thing to be some kind of trick, and to take the first step would be falling for it.

Nico shook his head. He was sitting outside in the cold wind dressed in Jason’s shirt among dozens of people watching a sport he barely understood. He had already fallen for it.

And it wasn’t a trick.

***

“Nico!” Jason grinned widely as his boyfriend approached. _His boyfriend!_ Wearing one of Jason’s shirts, and looking ridiculously cute. Jason didn’t hesitate before engulfing him in a bear hug.

“We won!” Jason said happily against Nico’s shoulder, and Nico laughed.

“I noticed. I know at least _that_ much about the game,” he said, taking a step back to look up at Jason. “Congratulations. You were amazing out there.”

“Really?” Jason smiled, and Nico shrugged.

“As far as I could tell,” he said, and Jason laughed as he put their foreheads together. He would have liked a kiss, to be honest, but he wasn’t sure Nico would be okay with that.

“Get a room, you two!” someone shouted from behind them, and Nico turned bright red. Jason couldn’t stop smiling, but he did take a step back.

“I’ll have to go change,” he said. “Meet you after?”

“Sure,” Nico said, frowning a little. “Aren’t you supposed to go out partying with your team?”

“Yeah, but they are bringing their girlfriends as well so...” Jason said. “You’re coming, right?”

Nico bit his lip. “If you’re sure you want me to.”

Jason gave an exasperated sigh, then took a step forward and gave Nico a quick kiss on his forehead. That shouldn’t be too much, right? “Of course I want you to, but you don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

“I’ll come,” Nico mumbled, face bright red as he looked down on his sneakers.

“Thanks,” Jason smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Jason turned to join his teammates in the changing room, still unable to keep the grin off his face.

***

Nico was terrified.

The party seemed like a normal party, a houseful of teenagers in a rather improvised gathering. It was loud and messy, but there was nothing there that should have given him warning signals. Still… He was the nerd at the popular kids’ party. That never ended well in movies.

He tried to tell himself that those were just movies, that stuff like that didn’t happen in real life. Except that it did. Nico had narrowly escaped it last year, and this was a similar situation, having been invited by a football player who seemed to like him.

But Jason didn’t just _seem_ to like him. He had announced his interest for all the world to see. Hell, Nico was still wearing his shirt. He was being paranoid, and he knew it. He _knew_ it, but the feeling that it was just a matter of time before the laugh track started just wouldn’t leave him alone.

“So you’re Jason’s boyfriend, right?” a girl said as she sat down on the couch beside him. She was pretty and smiling warmly towards him. “I’m Piper. Jason and I dated a while back.”

Right, because he wasn’t terrified enough already. She seemed to realize it, because she laughed.

“Relax, I’m not here to play jealous ex-girlfriend,” she said. “It was a mutual breakup, and I’m in another relationship now. Just wanted you to know that if you ever want to vent about something he did, or want advice, I’m your girl.”

“Advice?” Nico asked, confused, and Piper grinned.

“He’s a biter, so if you don’t like it, tell him,” she said. “And if you want him to go crazy, aim for his ears.”

“His _ears?_ ” Nico repeated, face burning, just as Jason appeared again.

“Whose ears? What are you two talking about?” he asked, handing Nico a drink before sitting down on his other side. “It’s just regular soda.”

“Thanks,” Nico said, looking down at the floor as Piper got up.

“It’s a secret,” she said. “Talk to you two later.”

Nico took a mouthful of his drink. Cheap soda. Not exactly helping him feel better. Piper had eased his fears somewhat, but on the other hand she made Jason seem like a really physical person, and he wasn’t like that with Nico.

Nico emptied his glass. It was ridiculous! He was being stupid. And paranoid!

“Are you okay?” Jason asked, sounding concerned. “You don’t look so good. Did someone slip you alcohol?”

Nico shook his head. “I’m fine. I just need some fresh air.”

He got up, leaving the loud party behind as he headed out the door. He sank down on the front porch with his head in his hands. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just enjoy this like a normal human being?

Jason quietly sat down beside him, shoulder to shoulder. He was warm in the cold fall air, and Nico kinda wished he would just put an arm around him. But Jason didn’t, and Nico didn’t want to say anything. After all, if this was a ruse…

Nico bit his lip. It _wasn’t_ a ruse! He _knew_ that!

“Do you want me to drive you home?” Jason asked quietly.

Nico took a deep breath. “No, I’ll be fine,” he said determinedly. “Let’s go back in.”

***

Nico walked up to Jason at the end of the following day.

"Jason, can we talk?" he said. He looked serious, and suddenly there were ice in Jason's stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I need to tell you," Nico said, and that really didn’t bode well. "You're not going to like it, and I'm sorry."

"Is there someone else?" Jason asked, steeling himself for the answer, but Nico just gave him a confused look.

"No! No, of course not," Nico said, shaking his head. "It's just... Remember how I thought you were trying to trick me when we first got together?"

Jason nodded, and Nico took a deep breath. "Well, I...I know how stupid it is, but I never really stopped suspecting it, and I'm sorry."

"Wait, what are you saying?"

"During the party yesterday I... I kept thinking that this is it, this is where the other shoe drops," Nico said. "I just... I thought you should know."

"Do you still think that? Do you really think I would..."

"No!" Nico interrupted. "I know you wouldn't. I wouldn't have started going out with you if I actually thought that. But I couldn't shake the suspicion that you weren't as interested as you said."

“What?”Jason said. “Nico, I told you, I really, _really_ like you. How is it you don’t know that by now?”

“Exactly, you _told_ me, but you barely even touch me. Can you really blame me for wondering?” Nico asked, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That’s not what this was about. I didn’t trust you, and I should have. I’m sorry.”

He looked back up. “Do you want your shirt back?”

“No. What are you talking about?” Jason asked, the a realization hit him like a punch in the stomach. “Are you breaking up with me? Is this a breakup?”

“Not unless you want it to be,” Nico said, looking a bit uncertain. “I’m sorry about all this. I just thought you deserved to know.”

“Nico,” Jason said said after a moment’s silence. “What exactly happened at your old school?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“Okay, then,” Nico said, reluctance clearly showing on his face. “I’m not completely sure how it started, to be honest, but for some reason a couple of guys decided to start picking on me. It started small, and I mostly ignored it, until one day when they dragged me into a janitor’s closet and locked me in.”

He gave Jason a wry smile. “It was just supposed to be a cruel joke about my sexuality, I think. With me being closeted and all,” he said. “Except that it was Friday afternoon.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “Oh shit!”

Nico nodded. “They had duct taped my hands and mouth, and by the time I got free there was nobody left in the building who heard me. It was Saturday night before I managed to get the door kicked down. The police turned up when I tried to leave the building.”

“You didn’t get into trouble, right?” Jason asked. “I mean, it wasn’t your fault.”

“No, but I had to explain what had happened, which resulted in the guys who’d locked me in being suspended for three weeks.”

“They should have been expelled.”

“Couldn’t expel the school’s star athletes, I guess,” Nico shrugged. “The point is that during these three weeks there were two important games, both of which the team lost since their best players were suspended, making it impossible for them to get back into the league or something. Guess who they blamed?”

“You?” Jason frowned. “But that makes no sense.”

“It did to them,” Nico said. “I spent the rest of the year dodging and running from the team and their supporters. Even the coach had it in for me. It got to the point where I couldn’t even lend anyone pencil without something bad happening.”

He took a deep breath. “There were times when the other players would try to get close to me, saying how sorry they were about what happened. I believed them the first time. I shouldn’t have.”

“No wonder you didn’t want anything to do with me or my team,” Jason said, feeling a bit shaken. He reached out to put his arms around the boy. “Nico, I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Nico said, leaning his head down on Jason’s shoulder. “It wasn’t fair of me to treat you like you were the same as them.”

“You didn’t. You gave me a chance,” Jason pointed out, stroking Nico’s hair. “If I had been through that I probably wouldn't have.”

“You’re being kind, but thanks,” Nico murmured. “Hey, Jason?”

“Yes?”

“Could you give me a ride home today? I don’t really feel like walking.”

***

Nico invited Jason up to his room when they got to Nico’s house. Jason agreed, because after what had happened today, after what Nico had told him, he really didn’t want to leave the boy alone. To be honest he just wanted to take him into his arms and never let go again.

Maybe he should? With everything else that had been said, he had almost forgotten about it, but hadn’t Nico mentioned something about Jason not touching him enough?

“Nico,” Jason said, opening his arms wide. “Come here for a bit?”

Nico gave him a puzzled look, but obediently walked right into his arms. Jason pulled him close, placing a brief kiss on the top of Nico’s head.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” came the answer against his shoulder. “This is more than okay.”

“It was never that I didn’t want you. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I didn’t want to scare you off by taking things too fast,” Jason said, pulling back to look Nico in the eye. “Can I kiss you?”

Nico’s answer was to grab Jason’s collar and pull him down so that their mouths met. Nico had probably intended it to be a short kiss, because he started to pull back, but Jason wasn’t ready to let him go, not after finally getting a taste of something he’d wanted for so long. He followed Nico backwards, pulling him into his arms to keep him close. Nico seemed to like the idea, because the kissing only got more intense after that.

Nico looked flustered and a bit dazed when they finally parted for air, but he was smiling widely.

“What took you so long?” he said, and Jason let out a huffed laugh.

“You could have instigated it, you know,” he said. “This is what I get for respecting boundaries.”

“It doesn’t pay to be a gentleman,” Nico grinned.

“So you say, but we got here in the end, right?” Jason said, leaning his forehead down against Nico’s. Nico chuckled lightly.

“I guess we did,” he said. “It’s probably good we took it slow.”

“Mmm,” Jason agreed. “Though I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Will you go to Homecoming with me?” Jason said, and Nico looked up at him, wide eyed.

“That’s what you want to ask? That’s weeks away!” he said, then frowned. “Do they even allow same sex couples?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Jason shrugged. “I promise it wouldn’t be a problem. Will you go with me?”

“I...I guess,” Nico said uncertainly. “I’ve never bothered with those occasions before, but if you really want to...”

“I really want to,” Jason nodded. “Thank you.”

Nico laughed, placing a light kiss on Jason’s ear, and Jason’s face grew hot.

“ _That’s_ what you and Piper were talking about yesterday, wasn’t it?” he managed, and Nico smirked at him.

“She figured it was important for me to know,” he said. “I think I agree.”

Jason rolled his eyes, leaning in for another kiss.

It had taken them a long time to get this far, and they wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
